Share a hotel room in Dubai, land behind bars

THE offer of a hotel room for the night seemed generous to a group of exhausted and frustrated passengers facing an extensive flight delay in Dubai.

That was before they were told to share their rooms with strangers of mixed genders, a practice that could land unsuspecting passengers behind bars in the United Arab Emirates.

Australians Jamie Young and his sister Susan Tickle were travelling back to Sydney from Glasgow via Dubai after attending their grandfather's funeral on January 22 when confronted with this situation.

Their Emirates flight EK026 had been delayed in Dubai for 24 hours due to pilot illness and heavy fog that impacted all airlines.

The siblings were among 15 passengers who waited in queues at the airport for hours while staff tried to find hotel vacancies, only to be told three people would be allocated to each room – regardless of the fact they didn't know each other.

Mr Young, 33, said he was shocked the airline didn't at least group them by gender, instead placing his sister in a room with an unknown man.

"We were both placed in a room with complete strangers," Mr Young told news.com.au. "Males were placed with females they didn't even know, and elderly passengers placed with younger passengers.

"I find this a blatant disregard for human safety and a very serious matter. Ask yourself who would have been responsible had one of the passengers been attacked by a passenger you decided to place them in the room with?"

Another female passenger from the group, who wishes to remain unnamed, said it was a very uncomfortable situation.

"He (Emirates staff member) said we would have to share three to a room," the passenger said. "When you are traveling by yourself this is a bit disconcerting but if that was all we were going to get it would have to do."

It is against the law in the UAE to live together or share the same hotel room with someone of the opposite sex to whom you are not married or closely related. If checking into a hotel as a couple, you may be asked by management to prove that you are legally married. These laws apply equally to UAE residents as well as visitors.

It also explains that in the event of a rape or sexual assault, under UAE law the victim could be punished, rather than the offender.

It is possible that victims of sexual assault may be charged by UAE authorities for engaging in sex outside of marriage and be dealt with according to the criminal law. There have been cases in the UAE where sexual assault victims have been imprisoned after reporting an incident to local police or upon seeking medical assistance.

Mr Young said he contacted the airline on seven occasions to voice his concerns but received no resolution.

Emirates told news.com.au the flight delay started due to pilot illness and was compounded by a severe fog that significantly hampered visibility at the airport, leaving one runway operable.

"The scale of this unusual natural occurrence meant that some 75 flights and their passengers were affected, resulting in extreme pressure on hotel accommodation in Dubai," an Emirates spokesperson said.

"Passengers were offered the opportunity to reside in a single room, a shared room or choose to remain at the airport until connecting flights were cleared for take-off.

"Emirates regrets any inconvenience caused to its customers however safety is of paramount importance and will not be compromised."

In a letter to Mr Young, and seen by news.com.au, Emirates claimed it was an error that Mrs Tickle had been assigned to a hotel room with a man, saying the individual had "accidentally been listed as a female on the hotel voucher". However Mr Young denies this version of events, saying it wasn't an isolated case.

He also said they were told in Glasgow they had a hotel room waiting for them in Dubai, but ended up spending 12 hours pleading for a room once they reached the city. Had they known, they would have waited in Glasgow, as they'd already been notified of the delays at that point and had no desire to visit Dubai.